The Garden
by Havoka
Summary: (400 Days) There wasn't much you could hope for in an apocalypse. The safety of your sibling, a garden full of fresh food, and a beautiful girl to share it with was pretty much the most a person could ask for. (Shel/Stephanie)


The Garden

"You really like that garden, huh."

The familiar, feminine voice drew Shel's attention. She lifted her gaze from the tender young plants, finding the sharp blue eyes of a fellow survivor.

"I do." She managed a smile. "Adds some cheer to the place, anyway."

Stephanie planted a hand on her hip, quirking an eyebrow at her. "Oh yeah? Am I not cheery enough for you?" The bristly comment was accompanied by a smirk. Shel had known her long enough to realize she was joking.

The scent of moist soil and fresh vegetables was one Shel had missed. For nearly eight months they'd been eating out of cans, and as the canned food was running out, they'd been forced to hunt and eat woodland creatures for sustenance. With a garden, they'd at last be able to eat something that wasn't bloody or tainted with the taste of aluminum.

Stephanie slipped in beside her, sitting cross-legged on the pavement. Her knee brushed Shel's, a reminder of their proximity. Drawing in a nervous breath, Shel kept her eyes down, pretending to study the plants.

A few moments passed. Shel felt the soft tips of Stef's fingers scamper down her forearm as she closed the gap between them even more. What she wanted was crystal clear – and if they had been alone, she'd have responded immediately. But they weren't alone. They were trapped in a tiny parking lot with five other survivors, one of which was her little sister.

"Stef, you know we can't." Shel pulled away. Responsibilities came first. If they couldn't hold their own, they were going to die. "There are so many things we have to do today. We need to inspect the fire extinguishers, get the knives cleaned, wash the-"

Stephanie's strong, wiry arms slung around Shel's waist, pulling her into the embrace of the other survivor. Shel protested weakly, a barely-audible grunt as her face was smushed into Stephanie's bosom. Stef's baseball tee was disgusting and filthy, its stench barely masking the smell of unwashed body and hair grease. They both hadn't bathed in months.

But somehow, it didn't really seem to matter. When Stef held her, nothing like that mattered.

"I'm glad you're here," Shel murmured, resigning to her fate.

Stephanie's fingers entwined in Shel's matted hair, caressing her with a soothing slowness. "Of course you are." She chuckled. "You'd be fucked without me."

"Pretty sure I'm fucked with you, too."

Stef pulled her gently by the hair, making eye contact as she tried to figure out if Shel was making a pun. Shel remained stone-faced, only cracking a smile once Stephanie was already laughing. "You really should lighten up a little, Shel. You're cuter when you're joking around."

_Chores be damned, I guess._ She let Stef pull her in for a kiss, ignoring the taste of expired canned food in her lover's mouth. Keeping one eye open for other survivors, Shel let out all of her pent-up worry, channeling it into passion. Stephanie seemed to enjoy it, letting Shel grab at her and pull her hair as her kiss grew rougher and a bit more demanding.

Realizing what she was doing, Shel softened her approach a bit. Stephanie detached from her, studying her with those vigilant, sky-blue eyes. "Just wanted to make sure I wasn't going too rough." Shel explained, shrugging sheepishly.

Stephanie grinned. Without warning, she lunged at Shel again, knocking them both down into the dirt. She sat on top of Shel, leaning down to nip at her exposed throat. "I'm a tough girl, Shel," she whispered in-between nibbles. "I can take it."

Lost in the moment, Shel didn't even stop to consider the fact that they'd landed on dirt rather than pavement. Her shirt was halfway unbuttoned by the time she realized something was crushed beneath her.

"Oh, shit."She pushed Stephanie off, quickly rolling over. In the wake of their affair lay a patch of smothered tomato plants. Their small fruits were smashed open, leaking red juice into the soil. "Oh, _shit_."

"Fuck." Stef clambered to her feet, taking a step back. "Don't let Roman see that."

Shel turned around, craning her neck to see her back. "It's all over my shirt." Red splotches soaked the green fabric.

"Take it off." Stef glanced about fearfully. "Throw it over the fence or something."

"I don't have anything else to wear!" For some reason, bringing only a single shirt had seemed like an okay idea when she'd packed the few belongings she brought with her.

Stef grabbed her hand, pulling her up. "You can borrow my hoodie. Just...get rid of that thing, before someone sees us."

Shel looked down at the cheery green blouse. "This was my favorite shirt."

Stephanie bent down, making a desperate attempt to straighten the crushed plants. Shel hesitated unbuttoning the rest of the buttons, thinking about the fact that she didn't have anything else to wear that belonged to her.

"Oh, for the love of fuck, Shel." Stephanie's fingers buried into the fabric at Shel's sides, yanking backward. The last few buttons popped right off, the tattered shirt giving way under the pull of Stephanie's determined grip. She quickly balled the shirt up in her hands, taking a step back before hurling it over the fence like a football.

Now shirtless and in only a dingy white bra, Shel crossed her arms over her chest. "Jesus, Stef! Where's that hoodie, I need it right now!"

Stephanie blinked. "Oh, I don't know. I'd have to find it." Her eyes slid over Shel's bare form, spurring a devious grin. "Lookin' good."

"Fuck you. Find the hoodie, _now._"

"Okay, okay." She led the way into the diner, making sure no one else was around. Shel reluctantly followed, glancing back at the crushed vegetation before closing the door to the "backyard". Those tomatoes could have been an entire meal for them. Now they would have to go without until the other vegetables ripened. Another day of eating out of cans. Another round of garbage to subject Becca to. How could she have been so stupid, not to have looked before rolling around in the dirt with someone?

_She distracts me way too much._

"Here it is." Stephanie straightened up from behind the diner's counter, beating the dust out of a turquoise and white hoodie. She tossed it to Shel.

"Thanks. It's, uh..." She searched for the right word to describe the blinding piece of clothing. "...Bright."

"Not like you weren't bright before, Greenie." Another bristly joke. Seemed to be Stef's signature sense of humor. "Just put it on. Or, y'know, stay in your bra." She looked Shel over once more, her gaze both playful and predatory. "_I_ wouldn't mind."

With a sigh, Shel pulled the hoodie on over her head. "I guess it doesn't look that bad." It also smelled like Stef, which was an added bonus.

Stephanie came around from the other side of the counter. "Of course it doesn't. You look adorable." She reached up, tugging the strings of the hoodie lightly. When Shel lowered her head to adjust them, Stef planted a light kiss on her lips, sending a faint blush creeping up Shel's cheeks. "Just don't let anyone find out about the plants, okay? Deny, deny, deny."

"I don't plan on telling anyone."

"Good." The mischievous smile faded from her lips. "I feel bad that it even happened. But I guess there's nothing we can do."

"Hey, Shel!" Becca's voice broke their tense silence. The younger girl appeared in the front doorway, carrying a bucket. "Woah, what's with the neon?"

Stephanie slipped away from the two of them, giving Shel one last nod before heading out. She greeted Becca casually, striding past her as if she hadn't just been making out with her big sister.

"I, uh, ripped my other shirt." Shel averted her eyes, hoping her lie wasn't obvious. "What's the bucket for?"

Becca grinned. "Roman's letting me feed the watchdogs today." She held out the bucket, overpowering the enjoyable scent of Stephanie's hoodie with the stench of rotting organs. "It's gonna be so awesome."

Shel backed away, covering her nose. "Ugh. How could you be excited for that?"

"Because I want to help around here, and it's an easy job?" She pushed the bucket closer, laughing as Shel nearly gagged. "Oh come on, it's just guts. We've all got 'em."

"Ours aren't rotting in a bucket and waiting to be fed to dead people."

"Not _yet_."

Becca strolled past her with the bucket, heading outside. Shel exhaled slowly, shaking her head. Everything was getting so complicated. Becca was growing up to enjoy all the gore and destruction around them. They were living under constant fear, both from Roman's paranoia and from outside attackers. She'd found love, and it wasn't anything like what she'd expected.

Not sure what else to do, Shel sank into one of the bench seats by the window. She could hear the watchdogs snarling, meaning Becca was close to them. The clang of the metal bucket and the ensuing silence told her the sick deed had been done. Those _things_ had been fed, despite the fact that they probably didn't even need to eat. And her sister, her precious little Becca, had been the one feeding them the entrails they craved.

Shel massaged her temples with her fingertips. _Everything's gotten so fucked up._ She'd give anything to go back to the days when her biggest source of stress was taking a final exam. At least failing out of college probably wouldn't kill you.

A tap on the window behind her startled her out of her thoughts. She whipped around, finding Stephanie on the other side of the glass. The girl smiled at her, kissing two fingers and touching them lightly to the window's surface.

Feeling herself blush again, Shel gave her a shy wave in return.

Pretty much everything in her life had gone to shit once the Outbreak started, but there was at least one good thing that had risen from the ashes of her destroyed world. And that thing kept going her going when nothing else could. It gave her hope that, maybe someday, they'd be able to build some kind of shaky, post-apocalyptic life together.

It was almost worth ruining a few tomatoes to experience the love and tenderness she felt when they were together.


End file.
